book reviews with the blogmonstarhttp://blog.butterflytempest.net
book reviews and the occasional rambleTue, 19 Sep 2017 11:42:50 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.2BookReviewsBlogmonstarhttps://feedburner.google.comBook Review: The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Clubhttp://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-inaugural-meeting-fairvale-ladies-book-club/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-inaugural-meeting-fairvale-ladies-book-club/#respondTue, 19 Sep 2017 11:42:50 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1690The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club was a great story. It’s one of those books that you could snuggle up with on a weekend and while away ...

Books bring them together - but friendship will transform all of their lives. Five very different women come together in the Northern Territory of the 1970s by an exceptional new Australian author.

In 1978 the Northern Territory has begun to self-govern. Cyclone Tracy is a recent memory and telephones not yet a fixture on the cattle stations dominating the rugged outback. Life is hard and people are isolated. But they find ways to connect. Sybil is the matriarch of Fairvale Station, run by her husband, Joe. Their eldest son, Lachlan, was Joe's designated successor but he has left the Territory - for good. It is up to their second son, Ben, to take his brother's place. But that doesn't stop Sybil grieving the absence of her child.With her oldest friend, Rita, now living in Alice Springs and working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and Ben's English wife, Kate, finding it difficult to adjust to life at Fairvale, Sybil comes up with a way to give them all companionship and purpose: they all love to read, and she forms a book club.Mother-of-three Sallyanne is invited to join them. Sallyanne dreams of a life far removed from the dusty town of Katherine where she lives with her difficult husband, Mick.Completing the group is Della, who left Texas for Australia looking for adventure and work on the land.

If you loved THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, THE LITTLE COFFEE SHOP OF KABUL and THE THORN BIRDS you will devour this story of five different women united by one need: to overcome the vast distances of Australia's Top End with friendship, tears, laughter, books and love.

'The story of these resilient women is tender and intimate. Sophie Green has created a world that's as heartwarming, fulfilling and Australian as a lamb roast and full-bodied shiraz' Australian Women's Weekly

'I loved this book. I've never been to the Northern Territory but I felt as if I was really there for the entire time I was reading this book' NATASHA LESTER

'I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful novel... Sophie Green's beautiful mingling of the book club members' lives down through the years is a testament to her clever storytelling... She provides vivid descriptions of both the triumphs and hardships of life in the outback so readers can empathise with all the joys and heartaches experienced by each one' Starts at Sixty

'A plucky group of women gather together to help each other through the tough times . . . This touching tale set in a familiar landscape is an ode to [the author's] love of the place and its people' Sunday Territorian

'I thoroughly enjoyed this story... it does not end when the last page is read since the reader is inspired to find out more about the other books mentioned' Queensland Reviewers Collective

The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club was a great story. It’s one of those books that you could snuggle up with on a weekend and while away a few hours with. Most importantly, it’s set in a beautiful part of my country and really shows the vastness of Australia.

The descriptions of the land and the people are very true to life. Australia can be a tough country to live in, even if you’re not living in the rural areas. We really only have two seasons – winter and summer. Winter is bitterly cold, often so wet you’re ankle deep in mud puddles and there’s even snow in some places. Summer is insanely hot, as well as so dry the trees and grass act like a tinderbox and even the smallest spark can cause massive blazes that destroy thousands of kilometers of land and homes.

The wet season in the middle of Australia – where Fairvale is set, is sort of like hurricane season in the US. Wet, wild and dangerous. You might be cut off from the rest of civilization for weeks. Even after the rain stops, it’s still bloody wet because the ground needs time to soak in all the extra water. Sophie Green has done an amazing job in describing the wet season in Australia.

This book really tackles the topics of isolation, strength, family connections and courage in hard times – it’s set in the late seventies so things were a little different back then, but the topics and situations in which they arise are still relevant now. The start of each section/year has major world events listed and it’s quite interesting to see which events occurred.

Admittedly it’s a little slow to start, simply because we need to meet all the characters, but after that the pace is quite pleasant. The different perspectives works really well, as Sophie Green manages to tie them altogether seamlessly without it feeling awkward or jolting you from the story. I enjoyed all the little farm aspects having been raised on a farm most of my life, and it was interesting to see what parts were the same and what parts were different.

Overall I thought this was a well-written book, with a gorgeous setting (I’m biased about this beautiful country I live in) and it’s a wonderful weekend read.

]]>http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-inaugural-meeting-fairvale-ladies-book-club/feed/0Book Review: Caravalhttp://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-caraval/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-caraval/#respondMon, 11 Sep 2017 11:31:47 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1686I adore stories about circus, fete’s and carnivals. There’s just something magical about those sorts of places that I think connects with your inner child and to that idea of ...

The instant New York Times bestseller! #1 IndieNext Pick! Entertainment Weekly Must List!Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world...Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.“The Hunger Games meets The Night Circus. Grade: A-.” —Entertainment Weekly“Impressive, original, wondrous.” —USA Today“Spellbinding.” —US Weekly“Magnificent.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review“I lost myself in this world.” —Sabaa Tahir, author of An Ember in the Ashes“Beautifully written.” —Renée Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and the Dawn“Shimmers with magic.” —Marie Rutkoski, author of The Winner’s Curse“Darkly enchanting.” —Kiersten White, author of And I Darken“Decadent.” —Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star-Touched Queen“Like stepping into a living dream.” —Stacey Lee, author of Outrun the Moon“Destined to capture imaginations.” —Kirkus Reviews“Ideal for fans of The Night Circus, Stardust, and The Hunger Games.” —School Library Journal

I adore stories about circus, fete’s and carnivals. There’s just something magical about those sorts of places that I think connects with your inner child and to that idea of running away to the circus. Of course, the only downside for me is clowns. I am terrified of clowns and have been since I was a baby. Thankfully there were no clowns to be found in Caraval.

Caraval has been compared to The Night Circus – I can see why, but I think also if you didn’t really like the Night Circus, you will still enjoy Caraval because whilst there are a few similar things they aren’t really all that similar either.

The actual world of Caraval is rather interesting, and beautifully described. Stephanie Garber has a beautiful grasp of prose and it was a delight to read the descriptions of the world she has created within Caraval. Time is used differently in Caraval – the game is played during the evening rather than the daytime, and you have to be inside by dawn or you’re stuck outside until dusk which is made to sound like a terrible thing.

It’s hard to do a review to Caraval without giving a lot of it away, so I am just going to say that after a slowish start, the pace does get a bit faster as you begin to learn more things about how Caraval works and try to determine who is lying and who is telling you the truth, which is very difficult in a world full of players who are pretending to be half a dozen things and people at once.

Scarlett and Tella have an interesting relationship. Scarlett underestimates Tella’s own intelligence because she is really blinded by keeping Tella safe from their father (who is a class A bastard to his daughters and everyone else as well) because she is the older sister and therefore she needs to protect her sister. Tella is a lot more intelligent and cunning than her sister gives her credit for. I can’t say too much as it will give away a big portion of the ending, but suffice to say that Tella is the reason for several events that occurred in the book, either directly or indirectly.

There were a few things about Caraval that annoyed me. Scarlett’s constant whinging about being back in time for her wedding to a Count she’s never met (mostly because her father is a gigantic arsehole) as if it’s the only way she can leave her father’s cruelty behind, and how much she loves her sister and her (Scarlett) getting married is the only way for Tella to also be safe from her father, even if being stuck in some manor/fortress/whatever Counts live in is the last thing her sister wants. Scarlett is also rather ungrateful for the first half of the book, even though Julian didn’t have to go out on a limb for her and help her out as much as he did.

I certainly enjoyed Caraval and will be interested to see what happen in book 2 after the cliff-hanger ending in this one.

]]>http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-caraval/feed/0Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruinhttp://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-court-wings-ruin/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-court-wings-ruin/#respondMon, 14 Aug 2017 11:49:22 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1678Well I gotta say, girl knows how to write a story doesn’t she? A Court of Wings and Ruin was freaking awesome! If you haven’t read this yet, then run ...

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

Well I gotta say, girl knows how to write a story doesn’t she? A Court of Wings and Ruin was freaking awesome! If you haven’t read this yet, then run away right now. SPOILERS AHEAD!

When we start A Court of Wings and Ruin Feyre is pissed off with Tamlin and rightfully so. He pretty much plays right into her trap because he’s too blinded by the fact that he still actually loves Feyre (or who he believes Feyre is anyways) and believes he’s done the only thing he can to ‘save’ her from Rhysand. And of course he’s also too blinded by Ianthe’s sweet temperate priestess act to see her for what she truly is.

I’m not sure I would have had that restraint not to gut Ianthe the first time I saw her again, unlike Feyre who played her oh-so-well. I definitely would have murdered the bitch in her sleep though. Nobody messes with my sister. Her eventual ending was well-deserved and pretty much perfect, that greedy bitch.

Also, those creepy siblings/twins were evil. I was glad Feyre and Lucien sent the Bogge after them. They well and truly deserved it. They should have obeyed her orders purely has lady of the household. Tamlin should have backed her up on it and then her and Lucien wouldn’t have been forced to take such drastic measures. Of course, when they’d spiked her and Lucien’s food with faebane, that was just the icing on their death-cake.

I wasn’t sure I’d been born with the ability to forgive. Not for terrors inflicted on those I loved. For myself, I didn’t care—not nearly as much. But there was some fundamental pillar of steel in me that could not bend or break in this. Could not stomach the idea of letting these people get away with what they’d done.

Lucien won himself some more points in A Court of Wings and Ruin. Even though Elain is his mate, I liked that he kept himself very restrained and just stayed mostly in the background away from her whilst she eventually became much more of herself again. And, speaking of Elain – the Cauldron gifted her with something extra when it Made her because it liked her – which is a little bit disturbing really. Although, Elain being a seer did come quite in handy several times once they all figured it out.

Elain had always been gentle and sweet—and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to love, to be kind. She had been always so full of light.

The most beautiful story arc (apart from Rhysand and Feyre’s relationship) in the whole ACOTAR series is the relationship between Rhys, Mor, Azriel, Cassian, Amren and of course, Feyre. Rhys’ speech just before the really big battle is a key point of that relationship. How each of those people helped make him what who he is now, instead of whom he might have been if he had never met any of them. Cassian taught him resilience, loyalty, honour and strength, and how those things can make the best of a person. Azriel taught him that’s it’s the family you choose, rather than the one you are born into that really matters, and that you can still find hope when the whole world is telling you to despair. Mor taught him that light can be found in the darkest of places if you have the ability to find it, and that kindness can exist even amongst the worst cruelty. Amren taught him how to keep his power from consuming him completely. And of course, Feyre is his mate – the missing piece of him.

“The great joy and honour of my life has been to know you. To call you my family. And I am grateful – more than I can possibly say – that I was given this time with you all”

The whole theme of ACOTAR is that dreams can be very powerful things – for both good or bad. Rhys had a dream of living in a peaceful land and he began trying to make that happen. Feyre had a dream of a better life – she went through the wall and although her life with Tamlin wasn’t the once she dreamed of, it did lead her to Rhys and all of the others. Even the monsters have dreams – in Feyre’s last conversation with the Suriel, it asked her to leave the world a better place than she found it.

Now, I am not one to cry over a book – in fact the last time I remember getting properly teary out a book character was in Harry Poter and the Deathly Hallows. However, I had to wipe the eyes clear twice in A Court of Wings and Ruin. You know what I’m talking about. First Sarah J. Maas stabs you sharply in the heart with Cassian, and the knife is pushed deeper with Nessa. Then of course, Elain comes along and Sarah J. Maas takes her great big dagger out of your heart, closes the wound and pats you on the head. Not too much later she presses on the still-healing wound with Amren and her princely fellow Valeran (sp?). Then she rips your heart out out of your body, stomps on it and kicks it around for good measure with Rhys. Then of course, because she does still love us in her sick, twisted fashion, she dusts our hearts off so their clean, and then shoves them back inside our chests. My god woman, stop trying to kill me!

as I am clearly a glutton for punishment I can’t wait for the next book.

]]>http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-court-wings-ruin/feed/0Book Review: A Court of Mist and Furyhttp://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-court-mist-fury/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-court-mist-fury/#respondMon, 03 Jul 2017 06:25:18 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1668Well holy heck. I loved A Court of Mist and Fury. Even more that ACOTAR. Definitely didn’t see that coming. Did you? You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ...

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court-but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms-and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world torn apart.

#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sarah J. Maas expands Feyre's world beyond even her wildest imagination in this seductive and stunning sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Well holy heck. I loved A Court of Mist and Fury. Even more that ACOTAR. Definitely didn’t see that coming. Did you? You know what I’m talking about if you’ve read the book. If you haven’t read A Court of Mist & Fury: Stop reading this. Right now. SPOLIER ALERT!!!Okay Sarah J. Maas, you have a lot to answer for. Me constantly thinking about A Court of Mist and Fury when I couldn’t read it because I desperately need to know what the heck was going to happen to Feyre. And wondering when she was going to throttle Tamlin (because honestly, he became a major dickhead in this one) because she couldn’t take it any more. And wanting to know more about Rhysand after that first glimpse of the Night Court.

Feyre, Feyre, Feyre. Hang in there my darling because you will find your salvation in the most unlikely (to you) of places. You faced so much horror in ACOTAR and you will face more unpleasantness in A Court of Mist and Fury but you will also find yourself, and find a family who love you and who you love in return. Because really, that’s what this book is about is about life and love, survival and finding yourself.

I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal. I was a survivor, and I was strong.
I would not be weak, or helpless again. I would not, could not be broken. Tamed.

I liked Tamlin in ACOTAR. He wasn’t my favourite character but you know, I figured there’s got to be a glimmer of silver lining at the end of this whole ordeal. And there was, but also there wasn’t. Tamlin is too blind by his love for Feyre – a blind, obsessive love in the end – to actually be sensible about anything. He lacks the understanding that she was badly affected by her actions Under The Mountain – he’s used to killing people, and has most likely killed innocent ones at some point, and can’t see that it’s eating Feyre up inside. He couldn’t see that his way of ‘protecting’ her = keeping her essentially trapped in the estate and the grounds – was only making things worse. That it was breaking her apart even faster than her own tortured thoughts and feeling were.

A Court of Mist and Fury ahowed us that sometimes love isn’t perfect, some times it’s possessive and poisonous and blinding. It also showed us that it can be wonderful and healing and true. To quote Rhysand:

I also got really cross with Lucien for not showing an ounce of backbone and saying – ‘Hey, I don’t think Fayre is coping well. She’s clearly losing weight so something must be wrong.’ I will forgive him though because it is his loyalty (although in this case, blind loyalty) that keeps him from really doing what he should. I respect loyalty, although I’d love for Feyre to shake Lucien free of some of his loyalty to Tamlin. He still remained clever and intuitive – he could see something was wrong with Feyre but couldn’t shake the burden of loyalty.

Rhysand though – him I like. I even liked him in ACOTAR, although I thought he was a jerk. In A Court of Mist and Fury we learned so much more about him, and how much of his personality is really just a mask to protect those he truly loves. His way of protecting those he loves is so at odds with Tamlin’s but so much better. He put himself on the line and entrusts the four people who he calls family to watch over his small haven of peace whilst he put his life and soul on the line to protect them all.

“But then she snapped your neck.” Tears rolled down his face. “And I felt you die,” he whispered. Tears were sliding down my own cheeks.

The revelation of just why he healed Feyre and made the bond between them was beautiful and heartbreaking and lovely all at once. The scene in the kitchen where Feyre is heating the soup and Rhysand tells her everything was wrenchingly beautiful. And Feyre realising exactly why she painted the stars and moon and sky on her drawer of the dresser she shared with her sisters.

I love Rhys'[s family. Mor with her hard-won and well-deserved devil-may-care attitude. Amren, slightly unusual, older than most things living on in the world, and fiercely protective. Cassian with his casual arrogance, undeniable sass and ridiculous sword-skills. Azriel the reserved, darkly mysterious one, brooding and observant and loyal. Their dynamics work lovely and really made them seem like a family unit.

Also, did anybody else want to shove those Queens into the cauldron and hope that they drowned instead of turning to Fae? And Ianthe. I hope Feyre hunts her down and murders her with her bare hands, slowly. I would if anybody allowed something terrible to happen to my sister. Finger’s crossed that when they inevitably meet again Ianthe is terrified of Feyre at some point.

So in all, I adored this book. It was really good. Can’t wait to get my grabby hands on A Court of Wings and Ruin and find out what happens next.

She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price...

Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked - but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre's feeling for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she's been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows.

Oh My Freaking God. A really good sort-of retelling of my favourite fairytale? I mean, A Court of Thorns and Roses had me at ‘Sarah J. Maas’ but combine that with Beauty and the Beast and you’ve got a Blogmonstar trap, basically. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. I read the majority of A Court of Thorns and Roses on the train to Melbourne on Tuesday. It’s a four hour trip so plenty of reading time. Did I mention Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale? Particularly the original version (but I also loved Robin McKinley’s Beauty, and of course the animated Disney version. And the stage play.) I really enjoyed the subtle changes to the original storyline that Sarah J Mass threw in – ie. Feyre can’t read, the whole masquerade mask/shapeshifter thing.

I liked Lucien – even at the start when he wasn’t being very pleasant. It was quite understandable why he wasn’t the friendliest towards Feyre in the beginning, and eventually he came to realise that she wasn’t so bad after all, and she felt the same about him so it was all worth it in the end. I thought Rhysand was a jerk – and let’s face it he is, but he did have a few minor redeeming points so I’ll forgive some of his flaws. Even if he did help Feyre only to meet his own agenda, without his help she really would have been screwed.

Like I said, A Court of Thorns and Roses is essentially a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. Of the original fairy tale, as Feyre has two older sisters as well as her father (who is not a kindly old inventor). There was some differences to the orgianl story that in no way detracted from the re-telling and even though you knew there were certain things that had to happen in order for the B&tB story to hold up, the plot of A Court of Thorns and Roses is still different enough to hold up by itself.

Amarantha is a scary, crazy bitch. Like, bug-nut cray-cray, and vicious and sadistic with it. It’s one of those things that pretty much every Fae in the book agreed about. So much so they they tried to avoid saying her name wherever possible. Sort of like Voldemort.

Also, yay for no cliffhanger. Story summed itself up nicely and didn’t leave us hanging. *looks pointedly at Empire of Glass). I’ve got no idea what’s going to happen in book 2, although I intend on starting it tonight so I guess I’ll find out later, but A Court of Thorns and Roses finished quite neatly with all major questions and most minor questions answered.

The long path to the throne has just begun for Aelin Galathynius. As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down.

Well. Talk about leaving you want more. Empire of Storms was awesome. Better than Queen of Shadows in my opinion. Very action packed. Don’t read this review if you haven’t read the book because there will be spoilers. Not MAJOR ones, but smaller ones. Where to start with Empire of Storms? You are pretty much straight into the action and you don’t really get a chance to escape it. Which as a girl who likes her action-fantasy to be fast-paced, suited me down to the bones. Manon and her Thirteen are back (yay!) as is Elide and Dorian. Basically the gang’s all here (with the notable exception of Chaol who is still off somewhere remote getting healed.)

And hooley dooley do we learn stuff in Empire of Storms. Aelin has been a busy, busy girl, much of which she hasn’t told her companions, or at least not all of her companions. Lysandra is freaking awesome and spends the majority of her time in various animal forms, although occasionally shifting to her human form. Aeidion still has some issues he is trying to deal with – including meeting daddy, trying not to kill Dorian and getting the actual feels for Lysandra. Dorian is learning to use and control his very bad-ass magic and Rowan teaches him as much as he can.

Speaking of Rowan, he and Aelin’s love story is just gorgeous. *sigh* And with the pretty major plot twist we found out right at the end, there’s good reason for it. It also gets a little raunchy!

Elide is on the search for Aelin & Celaena when she gets spied by Lorcan (remember, gigantic asshole Fae guy from book 3) but instead of killing her, he decides to work with her until he can get as much info out of her as he can. But turns out Elide is more than a match for Mister Grumpiness. In fact she’s quite the devious young lady when she puts her mind to it. She’s quite an interesting character to watch really develop in this book.

As I menetioned earlier, Manon is back and she is one of my favourites, especially after Queen of Shadows. She finds out some things about her heritage from her Grandmother that absolutely floor her, all the whilst fighting very hard to actually stay alive. (The fight I am talking about is one of the best witches scenes in Empire of Storms, IMO.) She also develops more as a character throughout.

There are some massive plot reveals in Empire of Storms. Like piano-sized anvils they kept dropping onto the characters heads, including Aelin’s as she finally discovers the true meaning of her destiny. (SPOILER: It absolutely sucks.) All of the characters find out things about them selves and their companions that are irrevocably life-altering.

Unfortunatley for all of us both Erawan, King of the Valg, (formerly Duke Perrington) shows up as himself (ew) and also Maeve the Fae bitch-queen also shows herself again. Elide’s uncle Vernon also show up once but doesn’t do too much than mar the scenery and mess with Elide’s head for a few pages.

As usual, Sarah J Maas has managed to keep me up late, on the edge of my seat and reluctant to put Empire of Storms down before I finished it. A great addition to the series, and I absolutely cannot wait for book 6, Tower of Dawn, which is supposed to be out in September and will let us know what Chaol has been up to.

Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of misfits…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to hate and fear.

I received a copy of The Black Witch from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Let me preface this by saying that I had no knowledge of the racism controversy this title has raised over on Goodreads until this afternoon when I went there to move the book from my ‘currently reading’ shelf to ‘unfinished’. So I am not going to touch that particular area very much at all. My reasons for not finishing The Black Witch are unrelated.

Plot-wise The Black Witch could have been really good, except there were parts that didn’t really make sense. For example: If Elloren’s aunt Vivian is such a powerful mage, how come she couldn’t sense the power that is apparently able to be sensed by a level-5 mage (who is a lower level than Vivian)? Why would you trust your brother’s word on whether she’d been properly magic-tested when you already dislike several decisions about the way he raised your niece in the first place? Why not just do it before you let her go to University?

The other thing that made me uncomfortable about the plot in The Black Witch was how religion-focused it was. And not in the good sort of way. It reminds me very much of the bad parts of much of the history of Christanity with the whole thing of anyone who isn’t us must be a heretic and therefore bad with a capital B. It also felt a little bit forced down my throat that Elloren’s race – based on her religion – are the superior one. (Hence the whole controversy on GR.)

Character-wise, none of them were particularly stand-outs. Elloren was made to seem too ‘I’ve lived all my life in the country and know no better’ and is horrified at everything but then just goes, ‘oh well, that’s how it is’ and doesn’t seem to think any further about it. Fallon is mostly just made out to be a real bitch, and that seems unfair to her as I’m sure being an extremely powerful female mage in a world where females aren’t supposed to be powerful isn’t very easy. Not to mention she’s from a military family full of brothers. And can we have a YA fantasy (or YA in general) that not every girl is falling over themselves or competing for the attention of one guy?

Overall I felt The Black Witch was, well, clunky. Way too long and quite frankly I got bored by the time she actually got to the University. The whole let’s get handfasted (ie. literally bound to each other in this case) after one meeting and a tiny make-out session was just weird and felt forced. The fact that Elloren looks like the splitting image of her ‘all-powerful’ dead grandmother but apparently has no magic (but what was that whole thing with identifying trees by touching wood and the fire thingy) and it’s just so terrible also got on my nerves very quickly.

]]>http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-black-witch-dnf/feed/1Book Review: When It’s Realhttp://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-real/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-real/#commentsFri, 26 May 2017 11:19:10 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1644I received an eARC of When It’s Real from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I saw this on Netgalley and though to myself that’s an interesting ...

Wealth, fame and a real-life romance she never expected—seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett lands it all when she agrees to become a pop star's fake girlfriend in this smart, utterly addictive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt

Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths.

There's nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star's got Grammy Awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he's settling down—and who better to help him than Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? The very definition of ordinary.

Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley's image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She'll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little.

Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there's no telling what your heart will do…

I received an eARC of When It’s Real from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I saw this on Netgalley and though to myself that’s an interesting cover. Upon reading the summary on Netgalley I decided to request it because it sounded like a fun book, and everyone needs a fun book.

When It’s Real turned out to be just the sort of contemporary (YA/older teen) romance I like. The romance built nicely, even though it was supposed to be contrived (the main premise of the story) it wound up being very realistic. The rich & famous boy/girl needs a normal girlfriend/boyfriend to fix their image trope has been used a lot, but the writing duo behind Erin Watt have done it really well in this novel.

Oakley seems like kind of a jerk to start with, but as you get to know him, he does grow on you.He actually reminds me a little bit of my brother (although my brother doesn’t really have any musical talent) in the way that as he gets to know you he opens up more and shows more of his actual self. At the end of the day there is an insecure little boy, due to his crazy childhood, that lurks beneath the (almost) grown man he actually is.

Vaughn is a sweetheart without it being grating. She has just enough sass and stubbornness to make her realistic. You enjoy her little quirks and her ever-changing feelings, and I think a lot of us can empathise with her not-knowing what she wants to do at the end of high school and should she do what her parents did and be a teacher, should she do something else altogether.

The plot moves quite quickly and changes from Oakley’s perspective to Vaughn’s and back again, which whilst can be annoying sometimes, I found worked quite well with When It’s Real. I quite liked the twitter exchanges at the beginning of each chapter, even though they sometimes weren’t quite so nice. It tied in a key element of the boy-meets-girl meet-cute that is thought up by Oakley’s publicist.

I would have liked to see the meeting Oakley had with his manager and publicist after the almost cliff-hanger ending simply because it would have been very interesting. But I was glad When It’s Real ended and not left on a cliffhanger.

In all, When It’s Real is a fun, beach-worthy read. There’s nothing smarmy or weird about the relationship between Vaughn and Oakley, and the rest of the characters (even W the big fat jerk) help to make an enjoyable story.

]]>http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-real/feed/1Book Haul May 2017http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-haul-may-2017/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-haul-may-2017/#respondTue, 23 May 2017 11:19:33 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1639I put a whole bunch of books on reservation at the library the other week, and picked most of them up Wednesday. I was supposed to be going to pick ...

]]>I put a whole bunch of books on reservation at the library the other week, and picked most of them up Wednesday. I was supposed to be going to pick up 6 books, but left with 9 books, including one for my lovely mum. I have also been requesting a few items on Netgalley and I got most of them approved. So here is my book haul for May 2017.

Bad Brides – Rebecca Chance. This looks like a fun book. Everyone needs a fun book. I love weddings and I actually want to be a wedding planner, so this was kind of a serendipitous choice when I saw it on the shelf at the library. It’s one of the two that wasn’t on my reserve list.

A Penny Lost – Aspen Bassett. A time-travel novel with an interesting premise. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed and wound up not finishing it. However, you can find my review here.

When It’s Real – Erin Watt. A fun-sounding YA novel about singing superstar Oakley Ford and part-time waitress Vaughn Bennett who are roped into pretending to date each other for their own reasons. (Erin Watt is the writing name of Elle Kennedy and Jen Frederick who wrote the very popular The Royals series.) *Update: A great beach read or Sunday afternoon read. Review.

The Black Witch – Laurie Forest. Elloren is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch and whilst she looks just like her famour grandmother, she has no magic at all in a world which values magical ability over all else. More Fantasy. What can I say, it’s probably my favourite genre. *Update: I DNF’d this one. Review.

The Book of Whispers – Kimberley Starr. Luca can see demons. Nobody else can, so he keeps quiet about it. He also has dreams that sometimes predict the future. Set in Tuscany in 1096 AD. Sounds very interesting.

So that’s my book haul. What about you? What books are you most excited to snuggle up and read this Winter (Southern Hemisphere) or lay on the beach and read this Summer (Northern Hemisphere)?

]]>http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-haul-may-2017/feed/0Book Review: A Penny Lost (DNF)http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-penny-lost-dnf/
http://blog.butterflytempest.net/book-review-penny-lost-dnf/#commentsTue, 23 May 2017 03:58:32 +0000http://blog.butterflytempest.net/?p=1624I received a digital ARC of ‘A Penny Lost’ from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Penelope Grace, usually forgotten under the shadow of her twin sister's perfection, tries her hardest to hide her freakish ability to see into anyone's soul. Until she senses an unusual energy like a human shaped void in the universe. When Penny investigates the source, she gets tossed through a crack in time along with the cute boy next door. The Void follows them through history, increasing the dangers as if testing Penny. But what is it testing for? And why does it claim to know her better than even she knows herself? Even as Penny searches for answers, she must fight to survive the tragedies of both the past and future in order to get back home. (Netgalley.)

I received a digital ARC of ‘A Penny Lost’ from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I tried really hard with this book. I really did. I got to 52%. But as interesting as the plot premise was, A Penny Lost just didn’t work out for me. I really wanted it to, because I find time-travel an intriguing theme and when it’s done well, the results can be amazing.

The writing in A Penny Lost was quite nice. It flowed quite nicely and wasn’t too flowery or overly descriptive which was nice. It also worked nicely with the time travel element of the book.

The time travel part of the book was not actually the problem for me. The way it happened, with the mysterious void, and the negative energy makes sense in both time-travel ‘science’ and it was fairly realistic given Penny’s energy-reading talents.

Most of Penny’s risky-behaviours I put down to both her age and the fact that she was either scared wittless or really angry. Any combination of those will make you make decisions that aren’t the most rational. The fact that some of Penny’s decisions weren’t exactly rational worked for the story.

What really irked me about the story was that nothing was ever really explained. When things were explained, they were only ever partially explained, or the explanations didn’t really make a lot of sense. It also felt very disjointed. (Not so much the time-travel, as I stated earlier, that was done quite nicely.) But the randomly hopping from the Lusitana in WWI to some prison ship during the American Civil War, and the very specific but at the same time very random butterfly effects that Penny and Stranger caused – that really jostled me out of the book a few times. They broke one of the major rules of Time Travel – do not change anything because you don’t know what effect that might have on the future.

I was also kind of annoyed with Penny calling Stranger, Stranger. It’s a bit rude really. She could have called him by an actual name, even if it wasn’t his real name (since he couldn’t remember it).

In all, what could have been a great story was for me, let down by a plot that felt very disjointed and other small things that irked me as a reader. I would give A Penny Lost 2 1/2 stars if I was to rate it, but I don’t like to rate books I didn’t actually finish.